The Washington critic., 1887-08-27
AntcdOtal "reminiscences of the Late
llluslriOus President.
HIS STRANGE PRESENTIMENTS.
Curious Dreams at Critical Junctures
and HIS Singular Philosophy
Concerning Them.
copyrighted, 1857, by Ward II. Lamon-AlI
rights reservedl

him his own Patmos, Revery," says
the great French thinker, fixes Its
gaze upon the shadow until there Issues
from 1t light Some power that Is very
high has ordained 1t thus" Mr.. Lin.
coin had his Patmos, his "kinship with
the shades" and this is, perhaps, the
sirangest feature Of his character. That
his intellect was mighty and of ex.
quislie mold; that 1t was Of aseverely
logical cast, and that his reasoning
powers were employed, In the main, on
matters eminently practical, all men
know who know anything about the
real Lincoln.
The father Of modern philosophy
tells us that "the master of supersti.
tion Is the people; and in all supersti.
tions wise men follow fools" Lord
Bacon, however, was not unwilling to
believe that storms might be dispersed
by the ringing OF bells, a superstition
that is not yet wholly dead, even In
countries most distinguished by modern
enlightenment. Those whom the great
Englishman designated masters of
supcrstition-fools," were the common
people whose collective wisdom Mr..
LINCOLN esteemed above the highest
gifts of cultured men. That the Pat
mos of the "plain people," as Mr.. Lin.
coin called them, was his, In large
measure, he freely acknowledged; aud
this popularity of his nature Is shown
in his strange dreams and present..
ments which sometimes elated, and
sometimes disturbed him in very
Astonishing degree.
THE vI5IoNs OF HIS EARLY LIFE.
From early youth he seemed con-
scious of high mission. Long before
his admission to the bar. or his entrance
into politics, he believed that he was
destined to rise to a great height; that
from lofty station to which he should
be called he would be able to confer
lasting benefits on his fellow men. He
believed also, that from lofty station
he should fall. 1t was vision of
grandeur and of gloom which was con.
firmed in his mind by the dreams of
his childhood, of his youthful days,
and of his maturer years. The plain
people with whom his life was spent
and with whom he was In cordial sym.
pathy, believed also In the marvellous
as revealed In presentiments and
dreams; and so Mr.. Lincoln drifted on
through years of toll and exceptional
hardships, struggling with noble
spirit for honest promotion-medita
tive, aspiring, certain Of his star, but
appalled, at times by It's malignant
aspect. Many times prior to his eec.
tion to the Presidency he was both
elated and alarmed by what seemed to
him rent In the veil which hides from
mortal view what the future holds. He
saw, or thought he saw, vision of
glory and of blood, himself The central
figure In scene which his ICY trans.
formed from giddy enchantment to the
most appalling tragedy.
But 1t is my purpose in this paper to
confine myself to the strange dreams
and presentiments which Mr.. Lincoln
had while he occupied the White
House. l shall give them as | heard
them from his own lips, together with
such cautious comments as he chose to
make AS one story reminds him of
occult, or of character which placed
1t within the domain of mystery, always
recalled to his mind something alike
remarkable, If connected In any way
with his own experience.
ination at Baltimore he was engaged at
the War Department In constant telc
graphic communication with General
Grant, then in front of Richmond
Throughout the day he seemed wholly
unconscious that anything was going
on at Baltimore In which his interests
were In any way concerned. At
luncheon time he went to the White
House, swallowed hasty lunch, and
without entering his private Office hur.
rled back to the War Office. On ar.
irving at the War Department the first
dispatch that was shown him announced
the nomination of Andrew Johnson for
Vice. President. "This is strange"
said he, reilectively. 81 thought 1t
was usual to nominate the candidate
for President first" His informp at
was astonished. "Mr. President" said
he, "have you not heard of your own
denomination 1t was telegraphcd to
you at the White House two hours
ago" Mr.. Lincoln had not seen the
dispatch-had made no inquiry about
it-had not SO much as though,
about 1t.
AN oMINoUs INCIDENT.
On reflection Mr.. Lincoln attached
great importance to this singular oc.
currepce. 1t reminded him, he said
of an ominous incident of mysterious
character which occurred just after his
election In 1860. 1t was the double
image of himself iu looking.glass
which he saw while lying on lounge
in his own chamber at Springfield.
There was Abraham Lincoln's fact
rejecting the full glow of health and
hopeful life, and In the same mirror, a
the same moment of time, was the face
of Abraham Lincoln showing a ghostly
paleness. On trying the experiment al
other times, as contirmatory tests, tht
Illusion reappeared aud then vanished
as before.
Mr., Lincoln more than once told mt
that he could not explain the phenom
enOn; that he had tried to reproduc,
the double reflection Mt the EXCcutiv,
Mansion, but without success; that Il
had worried him not a little; and that
the mystery had its meaning which wa
clear enough to him. To his mind TIT
Illusion was sign-the life like imagt
betOkGning a safe passage through hi,
first term as Presidents the ghostly one
that death would overtake him bGfor,
The close of the second. Wholly un
mindful of the scene transpiring a
Baltimore, which would have en-
crossed the thoughts of any othe
statesman In his place that day; forget
full, In fact, of all earthly things eXcep
the tremendous events OF the war
this circumstance on reflection, h
wOve into a volume of prophecy, sur